When a person goes to a truck dealer or distributor with a desire to purchase a truck for a particular purpose (such as a garbage truck, dump truck, cement mixer, etc.), the truck customer usually has two basic decisions to make. First, the customer must select which make and model of truck chassis the customer wants to purchase, and second, the make and model of truck body the customer wants to purchase. These decisions must be made simultaneously to assure that the chosen chassis and body are compatible. Once the customer has selected a chassis and a truck body, and the chassis and truck body have been delivered to a common location, the truck body can then be mounted on the truck chassis to form a complete truck as desired by the customer. After the body has been mounted, in many situations, a bumper is placed at the rear of the truck to comply with Federal and State safety regulations.
An example of the above is a solid waste collection company which desires to purchase a new garbage collection truck. A representative or representatives of the company will select a make and model of truck chassis, such as a Ford F350, GMC C30, etc., and also select a garbage truck body which is compatible with the chassis. The garbage truck body is then mounted on the chassis to form a new garbage truck.
Regardless of the type of truck, or the truck's end use, the truck body, of course, has to be fixedly attached to the chassis before the truck can be operated for its intended purpose. This is usually accomplished by having points of attachment of the truck body to the chassis at a location near the front of the assembly and at a location near the rear of the assembly.
The front end of the truck bodies are usually attached to the front portions of the chassis side rails by U-bolts, U-bolt ties or other similar fastening devices and techniques. This invention addresses the attachment of the truck body to the truck chassis near the rear of the assembly.
There are many methods and devices that have been and are currently employed to mount and fixedly attach the rear portions of the truck bodies to the rear portions of the side rails of truck chassis. For the most part, these methods and devices include angle irons or channels which are usually welded to the truck bodies and bolted to the truck chassis or extension members which are often added to the ends of the side rails of the truck chassis so that the side rails plus extension members are of a length sufficient to properly support the truck body and also leave a desired gap between the truck cab and truck body. The extension members are usually elongated members which are welded to each of the rear ends of the side rails of the chassis. The truck body is then lowered on the chassis frame and squared and centered on the chassis frame. After the truck body has been positioned in its final desired location on the chassis, various mounting brackets are selected and temporarily positioned (as by clamps) against the body and chassis.
The next step in these prior art truck body mounting methods employing the prior art mounting devices is to weld the brackets to the truck body and to mark on the chassis frame, using the brackets now welded to the truck body as templates, the locations for holes to be placed in the chassis frame for bolts to pass through.
The truck body is then removed from the chassis, and the proper diameter holes are drilled in the chassis frame where marked. The body is then remounted on the chassis frame by bolting the brackets to the chassis.
Even after all this work is finished, the truck may not yet be ready for use since it does not have a rear bumper thereon as sometimes required by Federal and State safety regulations. Thus, the addition of a rear bumper to the assembly is necessary in certain situations. This is usually accomplished by positioning and holding the bumper against the assembled body and chassis and again welding brackets to the body and/or chassis, drilling holes in the chassis and/or body and bolting the bumper to the body and/or chassis. This is an at least two-man job due to the bulk and length of the bumpers commonly employed.
As illustrated by the above, the past devices and techniques for attaching a truck body to a truck chassis at the rear of the assembly involve multistep operations which include the placing and replacing of the truck body on the truck chassis, welding underneath the vehicle, aligning the heavy body on the chassis at least twice, etc. This cumbersome activity is time-consuming and requires a certain level of experience, foresight and knowledge before it can be undertaken. Moreover, even after the truck body is mounted on the chassis, additional holes and brackets must be added to attach a rear bumper to the truck assembly. The fact that the prior devices are time-consuming to employ and require a skilled person for proper use, renders the use of these prior art devices unnecessarily expensive.
Thus, it is apparent that there exists a need in the art for mounting brackets for mounting a truck body on a truck chassis frame which enable a truck body to be quickly and easily mounted on a truck chassis, and also optionally provide a manner of quickly and easily attaching a bumper onto the assembled truck chassis and body.
This invention satisfies this need, as well as other needs apparent to those skilled in the art by generally speaking, providing:
An integral rear end bracket means for facilitating the mounting and proper positioning of a prefabricated truck body having a generally C-shaped rearward cross-member comprised of an upper flange and a lower flange with a joining rear wall having an inner surface onto a prefabricated truck chassis which is provided with at least one longitudinal frame member, said bracket means comprising: a plate member having a hook-like profile comprised of a stem portion and a hook portion wherein when mounted, the stem portion extends in a rearward, substantially longitudinal direction behind the chassis, and wherein the hook portion extends in an upward and rearward direction, the hook-like profile being of such a dimension and contour that when mounted in combination with said truck body and chassis the hook portion of the profile accommodates the cross-member and resides proximate to the inner surface of the joining wall of the C-shaped cross-member, thereby preventing the body from any significant further forward movement with respect to the chassis, the hook portion being located proximal a side wall of the longitudinal frame of the chassis for connection thereto when the hook portion is proximal the inner surface of the cross-member, and wherein the bracket is of such a configuration and size that when the hook portion is proximate to the inner surface of the cross-member, the body is properly positioned with respect to the chassis.
In some embodiments of this invention, the plate member's stem portion has a number of holes positioned therein such that the holes align with a variety of holes which are now found in the extreme rear portions of the side rails of popular American-made truck chassis. For example, while a Dodge truck chassis model and a GMC truck chassis model may each have two holes located in the extreme rear portions of their respective side rails, these pairs of holes are not in a standard, or the same, position. By having a variety of holes, in the first portion, as per these embodiments, a single bracket is compatible with a number of American-made truck chassis.
In other embodiments, the stem portion referred to above may be provided with a flange which is disposed perpendicularly to the plate member. This flange may have means for receiving a bolt therethrough, so that a truck body can be attached to this flange by a bolt assembly.
In certain other embodiments of this invention, the stem portion may further include an extension thereof in the rearward direction which is designed and arranged so as to provide a flange which is capable of properly locating and securing a rear bumper thereto and with respect to the body and chassis.
The truck body mounting brackets according to this invention have many advantages over the prior brackets and other devices employed to mount a truck body on a chassis. These advantages include, but are not limited to, the following:
The brackets defined by this invention perform the functions which previously were performed by as many as five different prior art brackets and other attaching means on a single truck. The brackets are the sole connection members between the rear of a truck chassis and the rear of a truck body. This feature greatly simplifies the operation of mounting a truck body on a chassis, including reducing the time required to perform the mounting. This, in turn, reduces the level of skill required to install a truck body on a chassis and reduces the possibility of installer errors.
Another advantage of this invention is that by using brackets according to this invention, the need to extend the side rails of most truck chassis frames, which is almost always required when employing the prior art mounting devices, is eliminated. The holes in the bracket are placed such that the brackets, when properly installed, extend a predetermined distance beyond the chassis. This distance is set so that the brackets properly position a truck body on the chassis, leaving the desired gap between the truck body and truck cab.
Yet another advantage is that the brackets according to this invention utilize the existing holes in the side rails of popular American-made truck chassis so that additional holes do not have to be drilled in the side rails. This feature eliminates the step necessary in using the prior art brackets or other attaching means of measuring the locations on the chassis side rails for drilling additional holes in the side rails.
A further advantage of this invention is that the bracket functions as a barrier which helps prevent the truck body from sliding forward relative to the truck chassis if the truck embodying a bracket according to this invention is involved in an accident, such as if the truck runs into the rear of another vehicle. This is of great benefit in enabling the truck to comply with various Federal and State safety regulations.
The brackets according to this invention also possess the advantage that truck bodies are automatically positioned when the bodies are placed on the chassis and attached to the brackets. In using the prior brackets, the installer was required to make many different measurements and then make a final judgment as to whether or not the body was properly positioned. All of this guesswork and meticulous measuring, and the errors inherent in the same, are eliminated when using the brackets according to the present invention.
Another advantage is that the brackets may optionally provide surfaces to which a rear bumper can be easily and quickly attached. When using the prior art brackets, it was usually necessary to add additional brackets and other supports to fixedly attach the bumper to the truck. These additional brackets and supports are unnecessary when employing brackets according to this invention. Moreover, the brackets according to this invention are designed and arranged such that the bumper is positioned in the proper relationship to the body, including height, by the brackets.
A further advantage is that use of the brackets according to this invention reduces the man-hours required to install a bumper by providing a surface which enables one man to install a bumper. The prior art brackets require at least two men to lift the bumper, block it up in the proper position and install the same.
The brackets according to this invention also have the advantage that the vertical loads the body exerts on the bracket are directly carried by the bracket. This provides full, rugged support for the body.
Moreover, the use of brackets according to this invention provides an additional deterrent to a body being moved too far forward relative to the chassis as the body is being positioned and installed on the chassis. If a body is moved too far forward, it may damage the truck cab. Occasionally when a body is being positioned and installed on a chassis, the body will be accidentally swung or otherwise moved too far forward and will bump the cab. The brackets according to this invention reduce occurrences of these mishaps, it being remembered that the brackets are placed on the chassis prior to the time that the body is placed on the chassis.
In summary, it is clear from the above that this invention possesses many advantages and benefits not found in any prior art brackets.